RAMALLAH (AFP) -- President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the United Nations to put the state of Palestine under "international protection" due to the worsening violence in Gaza, the PLO said Sunday.

Abbas would present a letter to this effect to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, it said in a statement.

Abbas also wants a commission of inquiry into Israel's relentless air bombardment of the Gaza Strip aimed at halting militant rocket fire.

Abbas is "undertaking several steps and measures to deal with the horrific situation in Gaza," senior Palestine Liberation Organisation member Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement after a meeting of the PLO executive.

Abbas has asked Switzerland, the depository of the fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in wartime, to ask signatories to place sanctions on Israel which, as the occupying power, is responsible for the safety of civilians.

Its recognition by the UN as a non-member state has allowed Palestine to sign several international conventions, including the Geneva Conventions.

Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" before dawn on Tuesday in an attempt to halt cross-border rocket fire by militant groups in Gaza, with the overall Palestinian death toll rising to 166 by Sunday with more than 1,000 wounded.

Ashrawi said that when Arab League foreign ministers meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss the Gaza crisis Palestine would ask them to "adopt a draft resolution at the ministerial level" to be presented to the UN Security Council.

The Palestinians would also seek an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council "to deal with the grave conditions in Gaza and hold Israel to account for its violations of international law and international humanitarian law."

1 ) Outlier / USA

13/07/2014 21:30

I thought Jews had chutzpah. Palestinians caused this crisis and now want the international community to bail them out. Pitiful.

2 ) Lynx / Palestine

14/07/2014 00:19

LISTEN YOU EUNUCH ABBAS...
The Palestinian people want Palestine to sign the Rome documents and sue the Settler Colonist entity NOW
Could you at least pretend you are not a traitor?

3 ) The UN Knows / But Can Not Act

14/07/2014 00:25

* The UN knows the difference, between Israel and Hamas, and that
Israel uses defensive systems against missiles, and soldiers against militants, to protect the residents of Israel, while Hamas uses the residents of Gaza, to protect their aggressive missiles & militants.
* The UN also knows that it should put Palestine's PLO-Hamas Unity government on trial before the International Criminal Courts, for war crimes, rather than under any kind of protection !!!

4 ) Arnold / Canada

14/07/2014 00:45

The man is making a fool of himself. Going to the ICC will bring the house of cards down on him and his regime. His own diplomat has already let the cat out of the bag that every rocket fired into Israel is to kill as many civilians as possible whereas the IDF has been warning the Pal civilians to get out of the way. The man is grasping at straws.

5 ) Aref Assaf / USA

14/07/2014 02:07

Dissolve the PA, Mr "president". Israel will suffer a lot more.

6 ) Olivia / USA

14/07/2014 04:12

If this happens, Hamas will need to give up all weapons and responsibility and governing power. Since this won't happen, Abbas is wasting his time

7 ) Tibi / Tubas

14/07/2014 04:44

President ABBAS MUST be getting seriously senile, or he
should KNOW what THE UN can and CANNOT DO, where:
- The UN can not put a state "under international PROTECTION", but
- It can send peace-keepers, observers, once a peace agreement is reached.
However, a peace agreement will probably never be reached, and
probably neither side wants peace-keepers, observers around, since
- Israel does Not need protecting, and
- Hamas can Not afford any witnesses to their war crimes !!

8 ) Dimi / Germany

14/07/2014 14:59

Things do not work like Abbas is planning to do,consequently, he only
looses time and what tragedy the life of Palestinians. The better way is
to disarm Hamas and avoid repeating such conflict with Israel for ever.
In case he gets rid of (armed)Hamas the civilized world will help the Pals
with or without UN,but first he has to put Hamas on hot seat. On the
other hand he is oblidged to do so becaese Hamas is part of the new
formed governmend(indirectly).

9 ) Habibah / Tobago

14/07/2014 21:28

#8 Dimi - We know that's not true, because if that was the case why did the 'civilised' world not help Palestine before Hamas came into being? When PLO renounced violence did much change, no. Has much changed in 67 years of occupation, no. Didn't 'super power' US veto Palestine's bid for statehood & UK abstain, not much help there either. Best way forward is to engage with Hamas, recognise them as a legitimate movement & seek dialogue with the aim of making peace long term. Hamas keep Gaza safe.

10 ) spb / us

14/07/2014 22:29

dismental hamas. it is in agreements before none of which was kept by palestinians

11 ) Yaacov benyamin ha-kohen / Israel

14/07/2014 22:32

I have read some ridiculous things in the past but this current one tops them all. Palestine will never exist on this side of the river. If you want any possibility of it happening go to the other side of the river or your Nakba will never end.

12 ) Joshua / Uganda

14/07/2014 23:41

President Abbas is not considering the damage and targets the Hamas are making. They are after Isreali civilians who equally are humans. Let him direct the Hamas to cease fire then the Jews can act like wise because as long as they are still sending rockets to Israel, what he is saying is invalid.

13 ) Jimmy Carroll / Ireland

20/07/2014 14:27

Palistine for palistine a isreal robbing land killing childern.sick people boycot isreal

14 ) Ban Ki Sun / UN

20/07/2014 19:21

After giving careful consideration to his request we have decided to give more careful consideration...

15 ) Tibi / Tubas

23/07/2014 14:54

* If the UN could act "to stop Gaza violence", it would have stopped the same kind of war in Syria (100,000 dead), during the last severals, and Besides, after their war experiences in 2006, 2009, & 2012, Hamas certainly expected this, when they attacked Israel again, so * If THE UN could act it SHOULD be to PROTECT GAZA FROM HAMAS.

16 ) @ R. Serry & B. Ki-Moon / Truth & Reality

28/07/2014 15:01

- All the World's leaders should take note of what is required to get Hamas' leadership to finally say that they "are ready to coexist with Jews", and - They should stop interfering, and allow an unrestrained Israel to continue pushing Hamas into the choice of GAZA TO COEXIST OR NOT EXIST.

17 ) giovanni esposito / italia

29/07/2014 21:43

put the state of Palestine under international protection.

18 ) David / USA

08/08/2014 23:18

The UN is useless. If you want Gaza to thrive, put Israel in charge.

19 ) sylvia / UK

18/08/2014 18:54

Britain GAVE AWAY historic Palestine to the Jews out of a misguided sense
of shame for what the Germans visited on them in WW2.
They (the Jews) were offered the island of Madagascar, but stuck out for
Palestine.
Not content with what they were given (but then that's Jews all over) they
have systematically - over the last 66 years - by repeated acts of terrorism
made a Palestinian state virtually impossible.
You cannot negotiate with. or trust Jews to keep their word on anything.

20 ) inbound39 / New Zealand

01/09/2014 20:44

Abbas needs to sign the Rome Statute and let the ICC deal with Israel.

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